Isn't She Lovely
Synopsis It's 1941, in the middle of World War 2. A power-hungry demigod has risen in Germany, attempting to create a perfect race. The gods are ignoring the war, ignoring their children. Demigods are lost in the midst of battle; the camp is crumbling to the ground. And Serena has fallen in love with the young German man hiding in her home. Disclaimer: Disregarding anything that our favourite author wrote about World War 2 in the Percy Jackson series, this story takes place in the midst of World War 2. The gods, believing that the war is not their problem but agreeing to help, send demigods to fight a power hungry demigod Adolf Hitler in Germany. This story focuses on Serena, a young American demigod who is living in Germany at the time and illegally hiding a Jewish boy Elijah in her bedroom. First story, please enjoy! Chapter One - Apollo's Angel ''Elijah's perspective'' I could hear them coming; their harsh, gruff voices echoing in the dark alley. The winter night was cold and my hands had long turned numb. Yet I continued. Despite hearing the sharp, metallic clangs of metal against metal, proof of their cruel weapons and what was going to be a painful, merciless death for me. I ran. And ran. I do not even remember what I had done wrong. Two years ago, my mama, papa and brother Jude had been sitting at our dinner. Praying and eating what was unknowing our last peaceful meal. Then, it started. They went against the Jewish, following a vile devil called Adolf Hitler. They came one night to our village and killed Papa. Slaughtered Mama. I ran with Jude but in the darkness of the night, we became separated. I no longer worry for Jude. I know he is dead. Call me emotionless, a beast, a monster; cruel. But I not only know he is dead, I am thankful he is dead. This world is no place for a boy like Jude. An innocent, perfect child. "Nimm den Abschaum! Nimm den Abschaum!" ''Grab the scum! Grab the scum!'' I was not the only one running. Venyn was not far behind me. As I hear a shout, a gunshot and then silence...I know Venyn is now gone. I am alone. I sprint faster, there is no oxygen left in my lungs. I do not stop. I run. And run. Suddenly, lights. I yelp and can hear the footsteps behind me come closer as I stumble. Gunshots, darkness, stars....Then...An angel. "Hurry! They're coming! Inside!" She whispered. Shocked, I pause but she grabs my hand... The angel grabbed my hand....And pulls me inside. Closes the door. Blows out the candles. I am pulled up stairs but suddenly, my legs collapse. She gasps at the loud noise but continues to pull me into a small room. "Wer sind Sie?" I cough, blood appearing on white carpet, her eyes suddenly worried. "Wh-wh-whoo arre yoo?" She smiles, a small smile. But somehow, that smile lightens up the room for me. All my pain disappears, my body feels like I had just witnessed a miracle. It felt like Mama was singing a lullaby. Papa was praising my piano. Jude was snuggled with me in bed. It felt like...''heaven...'' ''Serena's Perspective'' The boy, no- man, relaxed and his eyes fluttered shut. Despite knowing he will not hear me, I whisper a few words to him. Four words; to be exact. "Serena..." I press a kiss to his forward, praying to Apollo for his health and to Hades to keep him from death as I tend to his wound. "I am Serena..." And somehow, my prayers were heard. Chapter Two - Bright Lights Guide Us Home ''Quick note: the title of this chapter, Bright Lights Guide Us Home, is actually a line in a song I wrote. Fun fact time :D'' ''Serena's Perspective'' It was the waking hours of morning. Or at least, that's what I call them. The waking hours are the earliest hours, when I awake every day. I schedule my day like this. I always have. The waking hours, the training hours, the music hours, the friendship hours, the sleeping hours...And...the mourning hours. The mourning hours never used to exist. Not until this war started. What war? You must be living in Hawaii, ignoring our pain then. My name is Serena Harvard. My mother is Jesse Harvard, a prostitute in America. Yes, a prostitute. The only reason I call her my mother is because of our genetic relation. Otherwise, she is no one to me. I was raised by my brothers and sisters and cousins and aunts and uncles and great aunts and great nephews, some of which were younger and older than me. Confusing? Well, maybe I should mention my father. My father is Apollo. Yep, that Apollo. Therefore, my family is a bit messed up. But living at Saint Chiron's College wasn't that bad. See, it wasn't actually a boarding school. That was just a front put up by Chiron, our instructor. It was actually a training camp for demigods like me. Some, also like me, have been there since birth because our parents (mortal, that is) didn't want us. It's a good life. The people are amazing but... Sometimes, life cannot help but bully you. Two years ago, we heard news of a German demigod. His name was Adolf Hitler... He was a half-brother of mine, also son of Apollo. But he is no brother of mine. And he never shall be. He has tainted himself, lowered him to Titan standards and has came across the idea of a perfect race. He is killing, murdering, slaughtering thousands. So, the council of gods decided to send demigods. As Adolf Hitler was my father's son, all my father's children were sent directly to Germany. Into Hell's mouth, you could say. It was punishment and everyone knew it. Our father's mistake became the death of us. Other demigods were sent but only those who seeked glory. Mostly children of Ares, some of Zeus. Minor god's children did it for the fame, acknowledgement. But nearly no one came out alive. I am living with four of my siblings in a small village, on the outskirts of Germany at the moment. My elder brother Rex who is 19 is passing as our guardian. Then, there is my elder sister Annabelle and my younger sister Elizabeth. My brother constantly goes to battle, on long missions which sometimes last for weeks to try and stop the war. Annabelle is smart, nearly as smart as a child of Athena. She creates battle plans. And Elizabeth? She's five. She is here under the premise we're on vacation. We can't tell her it is because our father created a devil with some mortal. Anyway... Last night; I broke Rex's rules of never letting strangers in the house. But this man drew me in. His dark brown eyes were pleading with me, his unshaven face telling me all I needed to know. On the run, most likely a Jewish lad. Probably lost, confused...Innocent. And somehow, my demigod heroic instincts kicked in and I had dragged the man inside. He looked around my brothers age, two years older than me. As I ponder this, I don't hear the door open behind me until it is too late. "Who is that? Why is there a boy in your room? Boys have cooties! Yuck, are you guys dating like Rex and Hanna were? When will we see Hanna again? Oh my god, that dude in your room is waking up?" I slam the door behind Elizabeth, she runs and sits on my bed. "Shh Beth, I don't know who the man is. I saved him. Like a prince saves a damsel, I saved the prince though this time." I try to explain gently. His eyes flickered open and he sat up sharply. "Wha?" He groaned. "Good morning, Prince Sleepalot! Why'you in my sister's bedroom?" Beth pounced, metaphorically of course. I explained to the man. "You blacked out because of the wound on your side. I healed it however. My name is Serena. Can you tell me your name ?" He looked fearful, and suddenly grabbed me by the shoulders. He shook me, I felt like a ragdoll. But I bit my tongue and remained silent. Elizabeth looked worried and pulled at the lace on her cardigan. I felt like yelling at her, ''that cost more than breakfast yesterday, you're not getting a new one if you break it!'' But I didn't. I remained silent and waited for the man to speak. "Where am I?" "My home. I saved you last night, from the soldiers." He looked confused. "The Nazi's." His face cleared up and I felt like kissing him... Wait, what? My eyes widened and suddenly, I don't even know why I had felt like grabbing the man and just smacking one on him...But I did, my feelings were in turmoil, creating a tsunami worthy of Poseidon inside me. However, I pushed aside these random feelings and listened as he let go of me shoulders in shock and sank back to the floor. "My name is Elijah." He had a deep German accent, which made me internally swoon. "Thank you for saving me, however I must leave. It is dangerous." "No!" I suddenly blushed and stuttered out. "I mean, no, it's ok. We can look after you!" "Like a prince would look after the damsel in distress! Except you're the damsel!" Elizabeth threw in some words which made Elijah look confused. "No. I cannot put you in danger, you've already saved me once." I saw his eyes pleading with me to let the issue drop, to let him continue running. But in my heart, I knew I could not. My healing instinct came over me and I put my hand on his arm, sending as many soothing vibes as I could. "I insist. You can stay in my room. My sister won't mind." I whispered. He stared at me, then asked: "What about your parents? Your family?" I paused...My family...It seemed like a joke now. Once upon a time, I would've said my family was too big and too close to let this come between them. Now, I was unsure. My family had been torn to shreds. But I had to help him. I had to. "Family is everyone but those we send away," I whispered. He stared...Then smild, a large grin that made the room sparkle. "Let us rejoice in our brothers who will stay." He whispered. Elizabeth, having heard the poem a million times from other Apollo campers, added in the next line. "We will not let them walk alone." And together, for what seemed like destiny's path, Elijah and I finished the last line. "So bright lights will guide us home." And in that moment, I fell in love. Chapter Three - Mourning for Mortality ''Serena's Perspective'' We talked for what seemed to be the whole morning. Elijah, Elizabeth and I. But our peace was soon interrupted by a loud voice. "Breakfast! Breakfast, come!" Annabelle called. I panicked looking at the others, both frozen. Even Elizabeth understood the situation could get bad soon. "Guys, breakfast! Do I need to come up there?!" She called again. Elizabeth replied, thinking quick. Demigod reflexes kicking in. Thank the gods. "WE'RE COMING! WAIT UP, GRANDMA!" A laugh comes from downstairs, a tinkling bell like laugh from Annabelle. We start to walk down the stairs. Earlier, we had agreed that we would have to introduce Elijah to Annabelle. That didn't mean it would be easy though. Despite her angelic appearance, Annabella could be strict. She knew what she wanted, what needed to happen for her to get it and she wasn't shy about it. There, sitting at the table, was Annabelle as we arrived at the bottom of the stairs. "So, how was your slee-" She cut off as she looked up and froze in shock, her mouth open wide before she reacted and closed it. "Calm down Anna, this is Elijah. Serry saved him from the mean men!" Elizabeth's words only seemed to make the situation worse. "What? Serena Troya Harvard! How dare you break the rules and endanger our family!" Her voice rose into a shrill shout and Elijah quickly stepped in and she froze, staring at him. He stared at her. And I felt like dying. Everyone fell in love with Annabelle. She was goddess worthy. Her skin was a light golden tone, like the sun had blessed her. Her hair was long, flowing down in gentle waves down to her belly button. It glowed, healthy. No split ends at all. It never frizzed and instead, worked just how she wanted it. Her face was angular, looking aristocratic and noble. Her nose was not too big for her face and her eyes were a gentle blue, like the sky on a nice day. She was tall and slender, her chest just the right size. Her lashes framed her face and her lips were tainted red with makeup. She looked perfect, prettier than Aphrodite herself. And if you weren't enchanted by her looks; you were captured by her intelligence. She was quick thinking, studious, cunning and had great self control. Respectful, she makes children of Athena look like Are's children on a daily basis. Everyone admired her for that. Which is why I would never have Elijah love me back now. Call me crazy, thinking about love just after meeting the guy. But somehow; I knew it was right. Time was nothing. Meant nothing. In this war, time was our enemy. A minute could be how long until you were killed, a day until you're life was torn apart. You never knew. But I knew this was the man I wanted to have children with. They would have my blonde hair and his deep brown eyes. They would have his flawless skin and my healing abilities. Perfect...Like him. But now, Elijah and my sister had met. A match made in Olympus and I was Kronos. "Hello, Annabelle. Your sisters have informed me about you." I nearly sighed, his charm grabbing me by the hair and pulling me into a love-crazy trance. But I stood firm and watched as they shook hands. Then, shockingly, Elijah turned to me. "Let's have breakfast?" "Y-y-yes" I stuttered. "I mean, sure." As we walked to the table and sat down, Annabelle harshly yet subtly nudged me with her elbow and whispered a warning. "Be careful, sister. Or we shall be mourning for his mortality soon." Chapter Four - A Dash of December - WIP